Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States
UIS: Arab States: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 78.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States, 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States is 78.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States peaked at 78.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.5%, in 1979.
That places UIS: Arab States 107th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 43.5% | — |
| 1980 | 43.9% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 44.4% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 45.1% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 44.9% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 46.0% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 46.5% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 47.2% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 48.1% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 49.9% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 50.7% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 51.7% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 53.1% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 54.0% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 55.0% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 56.2% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 57.4% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 58.7% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 59.9% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 61.0% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 62.3% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 66.9% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 68.0% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 68.7% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 67.1% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 68.1% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 69.6% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 70.4% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 72.8% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 73.9% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 75.0% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 74.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 76.1% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 74.9% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 75.5% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 75.9% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 76.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 76.5% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 76.8% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 77.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 77.6% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 78.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 46.0% | 43.9% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.7% | 49.9% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.1% | 61.0% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.6% | 70.4% | 76.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.2% | 76.5% | 78.0% | 5 |
More education data for UIS: Arab States
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 7.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 20.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.6559 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 14.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in UIS: Arab States was 78.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in UIS: Arab States?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.5% in 1979.
- How does UIS: Arab States rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- UIS: Arab States ranks 107th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in UIS: Arab States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UIS: Arab States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release